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Sunday, March 26, 2017

Secure In Christ

I cannot talk about the Father heart of God without talking about His Son. Jesus lived approximately 33 years, His last three years comprising of His public ministry. Every Easter we acknowledge His death and resurrection. On New Year's, we celebrate the anniversary of His impact on the earth. At Christmas, we celebrate His birth. The copyright on your favorite music dates back to His life and death. There can be no denying that Jesus walked the earth.

But what impact does this have on our lives? Acknowledging Jesus lived among the men and women is not enough. We have to come to grips with Jesus as the Christ. You see, Jesus was His name, but Christ was His title. "Christ" is another word for Messiah, or "anointed" one, literally "smeared." Jesus had a mission. He was set apart for a specific task. He was after your heart.

We can see His heart for people from different angles. When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept and called him out of the tomb with grave clothes and all. For a woman who had bled for years, He ministered healing. At the temple, His passion burned as He overturned the moneychangers' defilement of His Father's house of prayer. For a paralytic, He stopped the meeting, healed him and forgave his sins. For you, He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for you to invite Him in. You can rest assured of this. He is after your heart.

If He was such a great man, why did they crucify him? Because he had a unique relationship with God. He was God’s Son. You may say, "Waitaminute. You had me with the historical Jesus, but Jesus as God's flesh and blood? I just don't know." Well, Jesus knew. He said in John 10:30, "I and the Father are one." And He had a hope, an anchor. His foundation was found in His relationship with His Father. When His Father asked Him to lay down His life for the salvation of mankind, His prayers were so intense, He was sweating blood. And He prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” After all, He was after your heart.

In John 5:19-20, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel.” Col. 1:15 says Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” Hebrews 1:3 says “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.”

And what happened when Phillip asked for a greater revelation from Christ himself in John 14:8-12? Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” If you’ve seen the Son, you’ve see the Father.

I remember the first time I went into a worship service where people were lifting their hands as they sang their songs. I thought, “What is with these people?” It turned out their security was not being afraid of what others thought about them. It was in Christ. He had revolutionized their lives and made them passionate for Him. So where do we stand? Is our security primarily in Christ? This is not the three little pigs picking the correct material to keep the wolf out. This is abiding in the shadow of the cross, the empty tomb, the risen Christ and His very Spirit.

Hillsong Worship recorded an updated version of the classic hymn “On Christ the Solid Rock.” One of the writers, Reuben Morgan explains that "When the earth shakes, we look to our feet and wonder what it is that we are standing on? When darkness seems to hide His face; In every high and stormy gale; Through the storm; My anchor holds". See it here.

Again, Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.” If you have met the Son, you have met the Father. He is after your heart. Open it, and welcome Him in. God bless you.